


Bitter, Sweet, or Both?

by KATastrofic222



Series: ???-verse [2]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Bitter, Bittersweet, Human!Kiibo, M/M, Sweet, This work is a sort-of sequel to Do I Know You, Two-Shot, pre-game!Kiibouma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-18 10:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13679862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KATastrofic222/pseuds/KATastrofic222
Summary: What kind of chocolate would you prefer?





	1. Bittersweet

**Author's Note:**

> This fic takes place in the same timeline as my older work, "Do I Know You?" Since this is a special work for Valentine's, it can definitely stand alone, but reading "Do I Know You" would give you more background knowledge. This is a two-shot because other than a V-day fic, this work doubles as a birthday gift for Jun from the Kiibouma Haven amino ^^ 
> 
> I'll try to post the second chapter later! >_<

“Kiibo! Good morning!”

“Good morning, Kokichi,” the albino regarded him with a slight bow, a small smile present on his face.

Ouma returned the smile as he settled into the same pace as his best friend. It took him a while, but he finally got used to calling Kiibo by his first name. He looked surprised at first but pretty pleased shortly after.

 _‘It seems he forgot that he was the one who told me to call him by his given name in the first place. Well, in his defense, he was feverish that time...’_ Ouma inwardly sighed.

_“Please, call me Kiibo.”_

_Ba-bump._

Ouma grabbed his chest. There’s that weird sensation again. No matter how many days passed, it never went away. Could it be some kind of heart disease?

“Does your chest hurt, Kokichi?” Kiibo tilted his head, brows slightly furrowed with concern—prompting the shorter teen to drop his hand to his side.

“No, not at all! I’m just a little out of breath,” Ouma inwardly winced when he lied. _‘I keep lying around Kiibo for the past few weeks too and it feels really bad. I shouldn’t let this develop into a habit.’_

Kiibo pursed his lips, obviously not satisfied with his excuse, but decided to drop it. “Okay. But when it does, promise me that you’ll tell me, okay?”

Ouma nodded furiously. “I promise!”

The albino heaved a sigh of relief before grabbing him by the wrist.

_Ba-bump._

“Huh?”

“We’re not late yet, but we might be if we stay in this pace,” Kiibo reasoned before tugging his friend’s hand, increasing his pace.

“W-wait, Kiibo!” Ouma’s face heated up when he noticed the amused looks their schoolmates gave their way. _‘Ahhh this is so embarrassing!’_ was his first thought. But seeing Kiibo’s special smile made him think ‘ _Ah, this isn’t so bad._ ’ If Kiibo was smiling, then it wasn’t bad to do these kinds of things once in a while.

_Ba-bump._

Ouma pursed his lips. When will this strange feeling go away?

 

\------------------------------------------------------------

 

They still had a couple of few minutes free by the time they reached their classroom. Most of the girls were crowding around Akamatsu’s desk, who was looking at some sort of magazine.

“Huh? I wonder what’s going on...” Ouma murmured.

“Oh, the girls are just preparing for Valentine’s Day,” Amami replied, looking at his own cooking magazine, which was currently turned to a page about assorted chocolate pastries. “My sisters actually wanted me to help them prepare some obligatory chocolates for their class too, so I’m looking for some easy recipes.”

“It’s only the 2nd, though? Valentine’s is still far away,” Ouma replied.

“You’re a naive one, aren’t you?” Rantarou chuckled good-naturedly as he closed his magazine. “Time flies by fast for women who try their best to pack all of their feelings into the chocolates they made for the people they care about. That, and the fact that this is the first time for a good majority for girls, so they need enough time to practice before they make the real deal.”

Kiibo had a contemplative look on his face, as he took his seat.

“I just hope it won’t turn into a bloodbath, things get pretty crazy this time of the year,” Kaito remarked as he unceremoniously took his seat and rested his head on his desk with a thud. “...the stores especially. Buying groceries is going to be a hassle for this month...”

“That’s right,” Rantarou sighed. “Which is why I have to buy ingredients as early as now.”

“Don’t you have a lot of sisters, Amami-kun?” Ouma leaned over his desk.

“Now that I think about it, yeah. You did say something like that before,” Kaito fixed his posture and opted to rest his chin on his hand instead.

“Yeah. Mostly step-sisters though,” Rantarou laughed awkwardly. “This is why buying ingredients is going to be a tough challenge...”

Kaito left his seat to give the chartreuse-haired teen a pat on the shoulder. “...Do your best.”

Rantarou closed his eyes. “Thanks, Momota.”

Sensing that the two had formed some kind of brotherhood on their own and are now inside their own little private bubble, Ouma decided to look over his schoolwork, checking if he had brought everything with him. Once he was sure, he found his eyes straying towards his best friend, who was currently scribbling some notes on his notepad. Before Ouma could ask him about it, however, the teacher had already entered the room. And due to the boring lectures and schoolwork, Ouma forgot to ask Kiibo about it during lunch.

The rest of the day went by just as usual.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------

 

“Kokichi, wait.”

“Hm?” Ouma turned to look over his shoulder. “Is something the matter?”

“I wanted to buy some ingredients, I was wondering if you can help me choose which one to get?” Kiibo asked. “Ah, it’s fine if you’re busy though.”

“Ingredients for what?” Ouma moved a few steps back in order to get a closer look on his friend.

“Some chocolate pastries. I wasn’t sure what recipe to go with yet, so I was planning to buy a large quantity of each ingredient and see which one works for me. I rarely splurge my allowance, so I don’t think my father will mind if I indulge myself once in a while,” Kiibo replied with a small smile. “I wanted to try making something for Valentine’s this year.”

“Why all of a sudden, though?” Ouma tilted his head, brows furrowed in confusion. “This isn’t your first Valentine’s after all. I know you were homeschooled back when you were supposed to be in middle school, but didn’t you receive chocolates last year from some seniors? One of them even confessed to you, too! But you didn’t even seem interested in the occasion.”

Ouma remembered that incident all too well. The seniors had been tailing Kiibo for a while in the hopes that they could get an easy entry to work in his father’s laboratory after graduation. One of them tried confessing, thinking that Kiibo was a completely naive person and that he’d jump if you tell him to. Ouma knew that they were up to no good since they went to his middle school too. Good thing they graduated along with his past bullies. It got rid of all the people he didn’t want to see in one go.

 _‘Huh? I wasn’t this mad last year, so why am I angry now?’_ he looked at the ground. There was a bitter feeling swirling in his chest. What’s going on?

“I didn’t want to receive something they painstakingly made after rejecting them, Kokichi,” the albino replied with a huff. “Even if she were to bake me an elaborate cake, I don’t think I’ll be able to return her feelings. And giving her false hope in such an occasion would be an insult to her.”

 _‘Her ego was already insulted the moment you rejected her,’_ Ouma thought. _‘It was well deserved, though.’_

“Kokichi? Are you busy after all?” Kiibo halted in his steps. “We can do this tomorrow instead. It would be easier if you could get your mom to allow you to sleep over my place for one night.”

“Hah? S-sleep over?” Ouma’s eyes widened. “What for?”

Kiibo lightly patted the shorter teen to signal him that they should continue walking. “I'm going to ask my dad if you can sleep over so we can spend the whole day making chocolate. You don't have to stay up late with me or anything, but it would be nice to have some second opinion on hand,” he hummed. “Well, if we start tomorrow, we'll have to buy ingredients early in the morning, but that's inconvenient...we'll be using up valuable time too.”

“Well, I never said I was busy today. I can call my mother while we buy ingredients,” Ouma offered him a smile. The way Kiibo’s eyes widened at his words, pure, unadulterated happiness reflecting in his blue eyes made the mauve-haired teen feel a strange feeling bloom in his chest.

_Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump._

“R-really?” Kiibo turned to face his friend. “Is it really okay?”

Ouma blinked in confusion before snapping to attention, finally registering what he said. “Of course! Besides, this would be a good chance for me to learn too, so I can make something for mom for a change.”

Kiibo’s cheeks were flushed as he smiled without restraint. “Yeah!”

_Ba-bump._

Ouma ignored the feeling in his chest as he pulled his friend by the arm. “Kiibo, stop.”

“Huh?”

Ouma pointed at a store just behind him with a thumb. “That store has great deals for baking ingredients. The chocolate would be a little pricey, but that’s to be expected.”

“Oh!” Kiibo chuckled. “Thanks.”

For the most part, the store was pleasantly warm and wasn’t too crowded, so locating and choosing ingredients wasn’t too hard.

“Right, I should call my mom while we’re here,” Ouma said as soon as they entered. “The baking chocolate should be in that aisle.”

“Okay,” Kiibo nodded as he pushed the cart towards the directed aisle, with Ouma following him idly with a phone to his ear.

Ouma took note of the interested looks some girls from other schools sent his friend as he waited for his mother to pick up his call. Kiibo always removed his hat whenever he entered buildings since it was only polite that way, it was safe to say, they got a good look of his friend’s face with his hat out of the way. Kiibo was an attractive guy, so it wasn’t unusual seeing others react that way towards him.

His forehead creased in confusion. _‘Wait what--?’_

Click.

_“Yes, dear?”_

“O-oh! Hey, mom!”

_“What is it? Did you need something?”_

“Yeah, actually. I’m at the grocery store with Kiibo right now since I’m helping him buy ingredients for some chocolate pastries,” Ouma replied, eyes on his friend so he won’t lose sight of him.

_“Chocolate, you say? Is he going to make something for Valentine’s?”_

“Yeah. Actually...about that...”

_“Hmm?”_

“I was wondering if I can sleep over at Kiibo’s place for today and tomorrow.”

_“Sleep over? That’s unusual. May I ask why?”_

“He actually wanted me to help him make chocolates, and he’s planning to use the rest of the weekend for this.”

 _“Do you even know how to make chocolates, Koki?”_ she laughed. _“How are you going to help Iidabashi-kun?”_

“I don’t, that’s why I’m going to learn! Besides, Kiibo doesn’t know how either, but I don’t see you teasing him,” Ouma huffed.

_“Oh come on, I was only teasing.”_

“Moooom!” he whined.

 _“Okay, okay. It’s just, you’ve never asked me for something like this before. It’s a pleasant change. Way better than seeing you come home all sad and lonely,”_ she sighed. _“Make sure to invite Iidabashi-kun over for dinner tonight, alright? It’s the least we can do for him since he’s always so good to you--bless his heart. You two have fun making chocolates, okay?”_

“Okay, mom. I’ll go tell Kiibo that,” Ouma smiled, warmth spreading through his chest. His mom sounded really happy. She looked a lot less stressed now ever since the bullying stopped and now that he finally made a good friend. It was all thanks to Kiibo--who was currently picking out a clearly expensive brand of baking chocolate.

“Kiibo, no. Don’t take that!” he hissed. “I’m sorry mom, I gotta go. We’ll be there as soon as possible.”

_“Be careful on your way home, okay? Ahh, to be young again.”_

“Bye mom,” he smiled.

_“Bye, Koki!”_

Kiibo was already looking at him by the time Ouma ended his call, the pack of _very_ expensive baking chocolate still in his hands. The look on his face screamed ‘Did I do something bad?’ The mauve-haired teen mentally face-palmed. His friend honestly didn’t know what was wrong.

“You can’t take that,” Ouma snatched the pack and returned it to the shelf. “You’re going to bake a lot of samples, right? That means there’s going to be a lot of trial and error involved. So if you’re going to buy something that extravagant in large quantities, you’ll end up broke even before you get to buy all of the other ingredients.”

There was understanding in Kiibo’s eyes. “I see, that’s right. Sorry, even though I can cook meals, shopping for ingredients isn’t really my strongest suit. So I really appreciate your help, Kokichi.”

“What made you think that was going to be a good idea?” Ouma huffed as he started going through the available baking chocolates in the aisle.

“It was high quality.”

The shorter male turned to look at him, “That’s even more reason not to buy it! If your first try gets burnt, the ingredients would be wasted. It being high quality won’t even matter at that point. Here. This one’s better. My mom uses this whenever she bakes, it’s not high quality, but it tastes pretty good if you use it right.”

Kiibo stared at the pack handed to him. Smiling, he placed it in the cart. “I’ll trust your judgment.”

“Seriously, you’re one of the top in our class, but you’re so clueless,” Ouma shook his head, helping Kiibo load the cart with more of the baking chocolate of choice.

“Hey, aren’t those two acting a little like lovers? How cute!” a girl giggled to her friend as they walked past the two. “They're buying groceries together too, how domestic!”

“Shh! Not now, they’ll hear you!” her friend hushed, gently pushing her friend out of the aisle to get out of earshot.

Ouma’s face flushed, instantly losing all of his momentary bravado.

“Next is flour, and maybe some baking powder. I remember seeing them earlier while I was heading to this aisle.”

“Huh?”

“Flour and baking powder,” Kiibo repeated. “They should be in the next aisle, right?”

“Oh. Oh! Yeah they’re nearby,” Ouma went ahead to guide the other. “You’re so good with directions, it’s a little unfair. I got lost in this store a lot when it was my first time shopping here with my mother.”

“I can imagine that,” Kiibo chuckled. “Oh, speaking of your mother. How did it go?”

“She said yes,” Ouma grinned. “She wants you to come over for dinner, though. Is your father going to be okay with that?”

“He should be fine. He said he'll be having an overtime tonight. I can cook him dinner if he's still hungry by the time he gets home,” the albino replied. “I'll call him later.”

“Okay, if you say so,” the mauve-haired teen smiled as he placed a few bags of flour inside the cart, much to the appreciation of his friend. “We better hurry. Dinner tastes better while it’s hot!”

“Alright!”

They proceeded to buy the rest of the ingredients they might need in pleasant silence, with the occasional jokes.

The face the cashier made after seeing the total of their purchase was honestly amusing. Especially when the ones who made the purchase are just two high schoolers. The face he made was funnier after seeing that Kiibo could actually pay for all of it. It was a little annoying seeing hearts in the eyes of every women waiting in line right behind them, though.

Ouma grabbed the albino by the arm as soon as he was done paying and pulled him towards the bags, away from the greedy eyes of desperate women. Luckily for them, the shorter of the two was also used to lugging around heavy grocery bags since his mom was tired most of the time and special sales are usually a bloodbath, so carrying those weren’t much of an issue. With three bags in each hand, Ouma left the grocery ahead, with Kiibo quietly following behind at a sedate pace. They walked to Ouma’s home while idly chattering about random things, ignoring the amazed stares thrown their way.

“I’m home!” Ouma called as he pushed his shoes off by the genkan, leaving the bags by the floor to let his blood rush back to his hands. Kiibo did the same, politely removing his hat and waited for his friend’s mother.

“Welcome home, dear! And it’s good to see you here Iidabashi-kun!” A woman with long and wavy mauve hair cascading down her back. Motherly blue eyes regarded the two with affection. “Dinner is just about ready, you two go relax in the living room while I finish up. You can leave the bags there.”

“Thank you for the invitation, Ouma-san,” Kiibo bowed. “...and for allowing Kokichi to sleep over at my place.”

“Ahhh...you’re such a polite boy. I should be the one thanking you! Thank you for being such a good friend to my Koki!” the woman moved to hold both of the albino’s hand in hers and shook them once.

Ouma’s face flushed at the entire interaction, “M-mom! Your cooking might get burnt!”

“Oh gosh! You’re right! Excuse me boys!” she dashed back to the kitchen.

“She’s in a really good mood today,” the shorter male heaved a sigh of relief. “Sorry about that.”

Kiibo chuckled. “It’s fine. I’m glad that you have such a wonderful mother to care for you.”

Ouma idly played with a single strand of his hair, eyes on the floor. “...Yeah. I’m lucky to have her.”

“All the more reason to make something special for her, yeah?” Kiibo tilted his head a little as he smiled, giving Ouma a pat before going ahead, already familiar with the house’s layout.

_Ba-bump._

Ouma furiously shook his head to snap him out of his little daze before catching up to his friend.

Dinner went by in a flash. Mostly because Ouma practically inhaled his meal to save himself the embarrassment of hearing his mother talk about him during his childhood years. To make it worse, Kiibo was genuinely interested.

“I’ll just go pack my stuff while you two talk--”

“Oh! There’s no need for that. I already packed everything you needed for your sleepover,” his mother smiled. “It’s already in the car. I’m driving you there so you two don’t have to carry such a heavy load on your way to Iidabashi-kun’s house.”

“Ah...thank you very much,” Kiibo bowed his gratitude. “We’ll help you load the bags in the car.”

She smiled. “I’ll appreciate that!”

During the drive to Kiibo’s house, Ouma had no way to escape his fate of being embarrassed in front of his best friend.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

“You should take a bath while I go prepare the spare futon for you,” Kiibo said as soon as they entered his room.

“Ah,” seeing as the albino had already started pulling the spare futon out of the closet, Ouma didn’t bother protesting. “Okay. I’ll be going ahead then.” By the time he was out of the bath, his futon was already prepared, complete with pillows and a baby green blanket that matched Kiibo’s--of course, that didn't mean anything because this is Kiibo’s room and having a spare blanket that matches his friend’s is not unusual.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting,” Kiibo says as soon as he walked out of the bath, wearing a plain white t-shirt and some black sweatpants as he dried his hair.

“Ah, it’s fine,” Ouma stood up from his place in the futon. “So...kitchen?”

Kiibo smiled, “Yes. I’ve already looked up some recipe for chocolate truffles. Since it doesn’t need baking, it sounded good for a first try.” He pulled the door open for his friend, making a sweeping gesture with his arm, urging the shorter teen to go first.

“Chocolate truffles...” Ouma hummed. “Alright! Let’s go do that.”

It turned out that the recipe really was simple enough even for someone clumsy like Ouma to make. Although the first few batches are shaped weirdly and were extremely squishy, it didn’t taste bad at all. The next batches looked much more presentable too. The next recipe they were trying out next was a simple recipe for chocolate chip cookie dough balls. Both of them were in the middle of rolling some dough into little balls when they heard the door unlock itself.

“...You’re still up?” Professor Iidabashi’s tired eyes widened in surprise.

Kiibo nodded. “We made some chocolate truffles. Do you want some? But if you still haven’t eaten dinner yet, I could make you a proper meal.”

“It’s fine. I already had dinner with my colleagues earlier,” The professor smiled. “But chocolate truffles sounds pretty good right about now, I could use the sugar kick. Ah, excuse me for a bit, let me change out of my clothes.”

“Okay,” Kiibo replied. When it looked like he was going to get out of his seat, the mauve-haired teen hastily hopped out of his seat.

“I’ll do it! I’m closer to the fridge anyway,” Ouma volunteered.

“Oh. Thanks, Kokichi.”

Ouma grinned. “No problem.”

He washed and dried his hands before grabbing a clean plate and a spoon. He opened the fridge in one swift motion and started shovelling the chocolate truffles on the plate. Trying to get each of the varied flavors they prepared.

“What are you two making right now?” he heard the professor ask.

“Chocolate chip cookie dough balls,” Kiibo politely replied. “These still need to be refrigerated though, so no touching.”

“Aww...”

“Here you go, professor,” Ouma chuckled, sliding the plate to the older Iidabashi’s direction.

“Thanks, Ouma-kun,” the bespectacled man smiled. He made a pleased noise as soon as he popped a truffle in his mouth. “This is good!”

“We decided to start on something easy first,” Kiibo said. “Kokichi was the one who suggested that we should try adding more flavors.”

“Mmm! I see!” the professor popped another truffle in his mouth. “That’s a good idea. Are you planning to give some to your mother?”

Ouma’s face heated up, “Y-yeah...that’s the plan.”

“What a good son,” the bespectacled man leaned forward to pat the shorter teen on the head. “So, how about a girl? Got anyone you’re trying to woo? Kiibo doesn’t tell me anything lately, I’m sad.”

“A girl?” Ouma hummed, his gaze unconsciously straying to his best friend. “No, not really.”

Iidabashi popped another truffle in his mouth, a knowing looking in his eye. “Is that so? That’s a shame. You two are such good boys, anyone would be very lucky to have either of you as their boyfriend.”

“Isn’t that a bit of a stretch? For me, I mean,” Ouma laughed awkwardly as he rolled more cookie dough into little balls.

“I agree with dad,” Kiibo said as placed the first batch of cookie dough balls inside the fridge. “You’re understanding and you care a lot for the people you hold dear. You’re a great person, some people just have trouble seeing it.”

_Ba-bump._

“You’re just saying that because you’re my friend, Kiibo,” Ouma huffed, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

“It’s because I’m your friend that I know these things,” the taller teen replied.

“Friends, huh. Friendship truly is a beautiful thing,” the professor mused as he finished the last of his truffles with a smile. “I’ll be heading back to my study. Thank you for the chocolate truffles. Try not to stay up too late, alright?”

“Okay. You should try to get as much rest as possible too, dad.”

“See you in the morning, professor.”

The elder Iidabashi replied with a good natured wave of his hand and a smile as he left the kitchen, leaving the two to their work. Silence settled between the two as they worked through the remaining cookie dough. It’s a good thing Kiibo had a big refrigerator at home, otherwise they wouldn’t have any space for the rest of the pastry.

“Ah,” Ouma’s head perked up, remembering a question he’s had since they started buying the ingredients earlier.

“Hm?”

“I just remembered that I wanted to ask you something,” Ouma said. “I forgot about it since we were busy buying the ingredients that time.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“What are we going to do with all of these? It would be a waste if we just throw it out once it goes bad,” the mauve-haired teen made a sweeping gesture over the tray of cookie dough balls with his arm.

“I’m planning to give some to our classmates. These are no-bake pastries, so, they’ll last as long as it’s kept in the refrigerator properly,” Kiibo replied.

“Ohh,” Ouma mused. “So... _giri_ choco?”

Kiibo chuckled. “Pretty much. But if worse comes to worst, I could always drop by an orphanage and give them our extras.”

“That’s a great idea,” the shorter teen smiled.

“Yeah,” Kiibo nodded. “I’m actually planning to make a _honmei_ choco, too.”

Ouma’s mind came to a halt. _‘A honmei choco? For who?’_

“It’s also why I wanted to practice. I wanted to give this person something special for Valentine’s this time around,” the albino continued, unaware of the growing turmoil inside his best friend’s mind. “I’m...not really good at expressing my feelings most of the time, so I was hoping I could express my feelings through this _honmei_ choco. But I guess it’s a little weird for a guy to make something like that, isn’t it?” he laughed awkwardly.

“N-no. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Ouma managed to say without losing his composure. “I hope it goes well for you.”

Kiibo smiled at him. Somehow it hurt knowing that what he’s seeing in the albino’s eyes was definitely love when the latter was talking about the lucky person who was going to receive a _honmei_ choco from Kiibo of all people. “I hope so too.” He pressed a cold ball of cookie dough against the shorter teen’s lips. “I got some out since dad isn’t here anymore. Give it a try.”

Ouma opened his mouth, letting the cold sweet rest on his tongue. It was all cold and soft, but as soon as he closed his mouth, the way it practically melted on his tongue was pleasant.

“How is it?” Kiibo tilted his head, curiosity evident in the tone of his voice.

Ouma smiled. “It tastes good!”

“That’s a relief,” the albino smiled. “I think now’s a good time to stop. Let’s head to bed as soon as we clean up.”

“Alright.”

Ouma stole glances from his friend while they cleaned up their workspace.

_The cookie dough ball earlier wasn’t just good. It was sweet. The way the soft texture of the dough mixed well with the chocolate chips and the added chocolate sauce drizzled on top left a pleasant sweetness in his taste buds._

His brows furrowed as his grip on the cleaning rag tightened.

_But the bitter feeling swirling in his chest left an equally bitter aftertaste to the sweet pastry. His dark thoughts and feelings made it taste bittersweet._

It took him too long to realize that he didn’t see Kiibo as his best friend anymore. No. He knew it. All this time, he knew it. But he denied the thought. When did these feelings start growing into something more?  And how could something that’s supposed to be warm and pleasant turn into something so cold and bitter?

Ah. He’s lying to Kiibo once again.


	2. True Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I don't want to know..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally done! And it's not yet March! Hooray! This concludes their Valentine Story! Thank you for your patience!

“Kokichi, good morning.”

Ouma’s head snapped up in attention. It felt like he had been asleep for the whole week and had only woken up in front of the school gate with his best friend standing beside him.

“Sorry if I was late. Packing all the chocolates in my bag took a lot longer than expected,” Kiibo bowed apologetically. He moved to hand him a small and neatly packed bag of assorted cookies, some of which looked familiar to him. They managed to bake a lot of sweets a week ago, so that was to be expected. “Here. I experimented on some recipe and tried it out myself. It should be good.”

“Oh!” Ouma faked his cheery demeanor. “These look good! Thanks!” He carefully packed the cookies in his bag.

“Were you able to give it to your mother?” Kiibo asked, tilting his head.

Ouma rubbed his nape shyly, “Yeah… I did, this morning. Mom practically burst into tears.”

“I can imagine that,” Kiibo smiled. “Ah, you can go on ahead. I'll just distribute some to the teachers. I accidentally made too much last night, you see.”

“Ah-" Ouma stopped himself from offering his help as soon as Kiibo’s words from before echoed loud and clear in his mind.

 

_“I’m...not really good at expressing my feelings most of the time, so I was hoping I could express my feelings through this honmei choco.”_

 

Ouma faked a smile instead, “Okay. Don't tire yourself out, okay?”

“I won't. See you in class,” Kiibo waved as he jogged to the direction of the faculty lounge.

As soon as Kiibo entered the office, Ouma dropped his smile. “...Yeah. See you.”

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

 

As soon as Kiibo entered the classroom, he started handing out all the chocolate and cookies he made for everyone. _Giri,_ just like the one Ouma received from the albino earlier. Before anyone could give it a taste, however, their homeroom teacher had already entered the room. She thanked Kiibo for the cookies earlier before starting the class with some brief announcements which Ouma was quick to tune out. He spent his time wondering if Kiibo was able to give the _honmei_ choco to the person he liked.

Maybe he should have assisted him earlier. He needed to know who could that person possibly be. Was it an upperclassman? A lowerclassman? Someone from the same year but in a different class? Or worse...a teacher?!

_I don't want to know._

Ouma mentally cursed as his eyes strayed towards his friend, he clenched his fists as bitter feelings swirled in his chest. _“If this continues, he'll end up hating me,”_ he thought. _“I don’t want that...but it still hurts.”_

Time felt too slow as classes went by just as usual. Maybe he was just too impatient for today. Maybe he just wanted to go home as soon as possible so he wouldn’t have to witness the inevitable event of watching his best friend, no, the person he _loved_ , give his true feelings to someone else. It felt like hours had passed by while he was thinking about various scenarios that involved having his heart crushed under the weight of his bitter feelings, that it took him a while to notice that it was already time for lunch. His eyes searched for his best friend in the sea of students standing up to bow as the teacher got ready to leave the classroom.

Ouma jogged towards his friends desk as soon as the teacher was gone.

“Where are you going?” Ouma asked his friend, who was getting ready to leave the classroom with a bag full of cookies and other chocolate pastry. It was already lunch time. They usually ate their lunches together in class, but it seems their routine was going to be ruined once again by _chocolates_. Valentine’s was a mistake.

“To our upperclassmen’s classrooms. It turns out I’d have to distribute some to the orphanages nearby. I still have more at home,” Kiibo rubbed his nape awkwardly. “I’m sorry about this, Kokichi. I’ll try to be quick.”

Ouma eyed the deplorable bag of sweets cradled in the albino’s arms with well-hidden disdain. “No, it’s okay. I’ll just wait for you to come back. There’s no point in eating alone anyway.”

Kiibo’s forehead creased with worry, “Are you sure?”

The mauve-haired teen moved to give him one strong pat on the back then smiled. “Just go! The longer you dawdle here, the longer it would take for you to come back and I’ll end up starving for the rest of the day.”

“Kokichi...” the albino murmured before nodding. “Okay. I’ll be off then.”

“See ya!”

Ouma returned to his seat and rested his cheek against his desk. _‘I deserve to go to hell for lying...but I’d rather go to hell than lose this friendship.’_

“Couldn’t you have just offered him your help?” Ouma’s eyes snapped towards the speaker, to which he regretted instantly since what he got was an eyeful of cleavage. “You’d get to stick together while distributing sweets on Valentine’s day. It’s a win-win.”

“What...are you talking about exactly, Iruma-san?” the shorter teen asked as he shifted into an upright sitting position. “Besides, if I go with him, I’d probably just end up slowing him down.”

Miu moved to sit on his desk, crossing one leg over the other. “Keep telling yourself that. I’m just telling you my thoughts.”

“What are you doing on my desk, anyway? We never really talked before,” Ouma asked.

“Yeah well, believe it or not, Iidabashi and I are great pals,” the blonde spoke as she rummaged through her pockets. “That’s why I’m giving you these. One of them is for Iidabashi, so give it to him for me, alright?”

Ouma eyed the two pink pouches in her hands before shifting his attention back to her. “Huh?”

“Relax. They’re only _giri_ ,” Miu smiled good naturedly before placing the pouches in his hand. “But if you're still having trouble accepting my chocolates, how about we make a little exchange?”

“An exchange?”

Miu shifted her body to get a better look at him, “Yeah. In exchange for receiving chocolates from me, you have to let me choose one sweet from the pouch Iidabashi gave you.”

“Wait, how did--"

Miu huffed a laugh, “Don't look at me like that. It's obvious that you of all people received something from him too. Besides, he's probably managed to give everyone in this huge ass school chocolates. What a weird guy. Anyways, how about it?”

Ouma pursed his lips, but looking at the good natured smile of his classmate, he decided to take out the pouch of sweets his best friend gave him, albeit reluctantly. “Here. I just don’t get why you’re fine with something like this when I’m sure you already got some from him.”

“I did, actually. I already finished it,” the blonde replied as she accepted the pouch. “It was really good, and I wanted to eat more of it. I don’t want to deprive you of such luxury, though, so just having one more of Iidabashi’s chocolates is enough for me.” She pulled out a chocolate truffle from the pouch before returning the said pouch to the mauve-haired teen.

“It’s amazing how his chocolates have that kind of effect on people, huh,” Ouma mused.

“You could say that,” Miu replied as she hopped off his desk, popping the chocolate treat in her mouth. “But believe me when I say that he doesn’t need something like sweets to have an effect on people.”

“True,” Ouma awkwardly chuckled. “Kiibo is just too amazing.”

“Hm? How strange...”

He looked up at the blonde, who was chewing with a contemplative look on her face. “Is something the matter?”

Azure eyes stared into amethyst ones. “It’s good.”

“Well, you did say that before,” Ouma leaned against his seat, rubbing the back of his neck.

“No. It’s _really_ good,” Miu murmured. “I had truffles in mine too, and it didn’t taste _this_ good.”

“What do you mean?” he tilted his head in confusion.

“Wait, you’ve never had this yet?” Miu slammed her hands on his desk. “Go give it a taste!”

“O...kay? I don’t see what the fuss is about though...” Ouma opened the pouch, nervous from the intense gaze the blonde was giving him. He pulled out a chocolate chip cookie drizzled with hardened chocolate on top. Sensing the impatience of the girl before him, he popped it in his mouth and chewed carefully. His eyes widened, fully registering the foreign flavor on his tongue.

_I don’t remember this taste…_

“You look like you just realized something,” Miu moved back, crossing her arms. “So?”

Ouma’s eyes flitted to look at her, he pursed his lips, hesitant to reply. “...About a week ago, Kiibo and I would spend our time after school to try out different chocolate recipes. The cookies we made didn’t taste like this.”

“Is that so?”

“B-but I can’t make any conclusions yet!” He stood up, slamming his hands on his desk. “I...I need to compare it.”

“Is that all you need? A comparison?” Miu huffed. “Gokuhara! Come here for a moment, would ya?”

The bespectacled teen looked up from his meal, a look of confusion in his face. “What is it?”

Miu sauntered towards the taller teen’s desk, “You still got the sweets Iidabashi handed everyone?”

Gonta took a sip of his oolong tea before responding. “I do. I was planning to eat it after finishing my lunch. Why?”

“Mind if I ask for one cookie? It’s for science,” Miu asked.

“For science, you say,” Gonta moved to grab the pouch from under his desk. “I don’t think you’re being entirely truthful with me right now, but here you go.”

“Thanks! I’m giving it back, no worries,” Miu grinned before returning to her place in front of Ouma’s desk, grabbing him by the collar. “Here’s your comparison, open wide, Ouma!”

“Wait a moment--!” before Ouma could get another word in, the blonde had already shoved a cookie in his mouth. The blonde let go of his collar so he could chew properly. She looked like she was having an awful lot of fun for someone who’s usually uptight despite her borderline vulgar appearance.

“So? How was it?”

“...Different,” Ouma replied as soon as he swallowed. “It’s good...but the quality isn’t the same. But what if it’s a fluke?”

“You’re a lot more stubborn than I remembered, Ouma,” Miu sighed. “Well, we still have 40 minutes of lunch time.”

“Er...”

He didn’t know what to feel after being continuously force-fed with _giri_ chocolates by Iruma Miu, a girl whom he thought to be as someone so straitlaced to even know what the term ‘fun’ means. He’s honestly impressed that no one minded giving her their share when she asked, then again, he was the same. That’s how this entire fiasco started in the first place. On one hand, he got to know a classmate better, who seemed to be a nice person. On another hand, the fact that it’s Kiibo’s _giri_ chocolate that’s been shoved down his throat for the next few minutes made him feel horrible. It only reminded him of the fact that the only thing he’ll ever receive from his best friend was _giri_ and never _honmei._

“Just accept it already, Ouma, your chocolates are special!” Miu grinned at him triumphantly.

“...Fine. I get it already!” Ouma whined. “The quality of the chocolates are too different--mine is better. But I think that’s only because I’m his best friend!”

Miu frowned at him, crossing her hands over her chest. It looked like she was about to say something but stopped herself as soon as she saw someone approaching them.

“I’m sorry if I took a while, Tsumiki-senpai suddenly burst out crying when I gave her chocolates,” Kiibo bowed apologetically. “Have you eaten lunch already, Kokichi?”

“No...I said I was going to wait for you,” Ouma murmured. “I’m guessing you’re all done now?”

“Yeah,” Kiibo nodded. “Thanks for waiting for me.”

“Well, now that Iidabashi’s back, I’ll be on my way now,” Miu said, patting the shorter male on the shoulder. “Oh, right. Good luck for today, Iidabashi.”

Ouma clenched his fists, he could feel his heart shatter to a million jagged pieces when Kiibo blushed at the blonde’s remark. Kiibo...really loves that person a lot, doesn’t he?

“Thank you, Iruma-san. I’m still not sure if it would go well, but I’ll try to be positive,” Kiibo replied.

They settled in their usual routine of eating lunch together once Miu left them alone. To be very honest, Ouma had already lost his appetite after the conversation earlier. But he still ate his boxed lunch anyway,  just so Kiibo wouldn’t notice something was off. Just so Kiibo wouldn’t notice how much of a dirty liar he’s become.

“Were you able to give that person your _honmei_ chocolate?” Ouma asked, surprising himself. Why does he keep hurting himself like this?

Kiibo blinked as he chewed, raising a hand before swallowing. “Not yet. I was thinking of giving it to them after class.”

“After class? Why?” Ouma’s brows furrowed. _“I’m...going to be forced to watch it happen, aren’t I?”_

“I actually...forgot it at home this morning. Is it okay if I ask you to come with me?” Kiibo asked, his cheeks suffused with a mild shade of red.

Ouma’s mouth twitched. _“No. Say no. Stop lying to him already.”_

“Yes. I’m curious about who this person is, actually,” Ouma faked a smile.

Kiibo pursed his lips and looked at his hands, “You...know them very well, actually.”

He can’t stand it. It’s getting too much. “I do?”

“Yeah,” Kiibo smiled.

Ouma wished he never said anything.

He felt like vomiting out his lunch after that. But he can’t. He must continue this lie. He started it, and now he must see where it leads him. Even if it leads him straight to hell.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This was the first time Ouma felt like he was walking to his execution ground when they started walking to the direction of Kiibo’s house. It wasn’t, he knows at least that much. But he knows he’ll die afterwards--an ending that’s not too different from an execution.

“I’m home,” Kiibo called as he unlocked the door to his house. He waited for Ouma to enter before closing the door behind them both. “It should be in the fridge.”

“I’ll just wait for you here,” Ouma replied. “We have to be quick if you want to give your chocolate to that person.”

Kiibo regarded the shorter teen with calculating eyes before nodding. “You’re right. I’ll be right back.”

Ouma leaned his back against the wall, looking down on his worn down outdoor shoes. This day was the absolute worst. He wants to get this over with as soon as possible. Maybe if he’s lucky enough, that person wouldn’t return Kiibo’s feelings.

His eyes widened. But Kiibo’s heart would be broken.

“...” Ouma gritted his teeth. _“This day’s the worst._ _I’m_ _the worst...how could I think of something so horrible…?”_

“I’m back,” Kiibo’s voice snapped him out of his self-loathing session. The shorter male’s eyes trailed to the lilac bag in the albino’s hand.

“Oh. We better get going then,” Ouma kicked himself off the wall.

“We...don’t really need to hurry,” Kiibo said. “It’s fine.”

“Huh? Aren’t you going to give it to the person you like? They might not be at school anymore if we waste time,” Ouma huffed.

“It’s okay,” Kiibo walked towards the shorter haired male. “They already left the school.”

“What?! Isn’t that bad?!” incredulous purple orbs stared into calm ocean blue ones.

“No, not really,” Kiibo chuckled, pulling Ouma’s hand by the wrist and placed the bag in his hand. “...This is for you.”

Ouma froze. “Huh?”

Kiibo let go of his friend’s hand, tugging the bill of his hat over his eyes in an attempt to hide his blushing face. “...This _honmei_ chocolate is for you.”

“F-for me?” Ouma looked at the bag in his hand, unsure if he was hearing it right. “Kiibo, this is--”

Sensing the distress in his friend’s demeanor, Kiibo placed a finger on his lips. “You don’t have to answer right away.”

The mauve-haired teen could feel tears prick his eyes. This was just too unreal. Too many feelings are filling up his heart. It’s going to burst.

“It’s getting dark soon, so you better go home now,” Kiibo continued. “Answer me on White Day. Until then, everything will remain as it is. I don’t want to pressure you.”

“Kiibo...” Ouma whispered, he swiftly turned around. He could feel his face heat up in a mix of shame and embarrassment. “O-okay.”

“Take care on your way home, Kokichi,” Ouma turned to look over his shoulder. Guilt pooled in his stomach when he was faced with Kiibo’s serene smile. But not even such a smile could hide the worry and anxiety in his eyes.

“I...will,” he moved towards the door. “...I’ll think about this properly.”

“Thank you.”

Without further ado, Ouma went on his way home.

_Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump._

His heart beated loudly in his ears, he closed his eyes as he cradled the lilac bag in his arms.

_Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump._

“I...wasn’t able to give him a proper answer...” he murmured. “...White Day…I’m going to give him a proper answer on that day!”

“You look happy today! Is that chocolate? Was it from a girl?” his mom asked, still happy from this morning’s little surprise from her son.

“Huh? N-no, it’s not!” Ouma stammered. “It’s...actually from Kiibo.”

“From Iidabashi-kun!” his mother mused. Before she could ask him further questions, he ran up to his room, shutting the door with a click. He nervously peered into the bag and pulled out a neatly wrapped box with shaking hands. He sank to the floor with his back against the door. Inside the box was a carefully sculpted chocolate made to resemble his favorite soda. It even had the grape design over it--the amount of attention to detail is stunning.

“Kiibo...you’re just so...” he wiped his tears on his sleeve. “This is...just too good to be true...”

Once he calmed down enough, he finally found the courage to break off a piece of the chocolate and popped it in his mouth. It tasted exactly like the chocolate in his _giri_ chocolate.

“You big idiot...you bought that expensive baking chocolate for this, didn’t you?” he covered his face, burying his beet red face in his hands.

“I...love you. I love you so, so much.”

I’m going to tell you properly on White Day. No matter what.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“You look down,” Professor Iidabashi patted his son on the head. “Did something happen?”

Kiibo looked down, “...I gave it to him.”

Iidabashi’s eyes widened. “Oh? How did it go?”

“He looked at a loss for words. And a little pained...so I told him to give me an answer on White Day instead,” Kiibo chewed on his lip. “...I think I just ruined everything.”

The bespectacled man thought back to the time Ouma slept over about a week ago. He saw how the shorter boy looked at his son from time to time. “I don’t think you did. All I know is that you gave it your all, and I’m sure Ouma-kun knows that now.”

Kiibo buried his face in his hands. “I’m scared.”

The elder Iidabashi leaned down to place a kiss on the crown of his son’s head. “Don’t be. How else would Ouma-kun know how you feel if you don’t show him?”

Kiibo chewed on his lips again. “...But...”

“But, nothing. You told him to answer you on White Day, right? Just wait for Ouma-kun to give you his reply,” the professor ruffled his son’s head affectionately. “You should go get some sleep now. Staying up won’t help you.”

“Okay, dad...”

The elder Iidabashi sighed as he watched his son’s dejected form slowly make his way up to his room.

“Ahhh...to be young again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued, on White Day.
> 
> Edit: Some notes. I pictured Pre-game Iruma to be someone who looks so erotic and sexy but is actually very disciplined and strict. And I also viewed Pre-game Gonta as someone with proper grammar, but is still an overall nice guy.

**Author's Note:**

> Some notes:
> 
>  _giri_ \- "obligatory chocolates." This refers to chocolates given because you feel like it's more of an obligation to do so since it's Valentine's. There are no feelings behind this.  
>   
>  _honmei_ \- "true feeling chocolates." These are chocolates jam-packed with love. If you're planning to confess to someone on Valentine's Day, honmei chocolates are the way to go! They're for a special purpose, that's why they tend to be more elaborate and expensive(if you're buying, and not making it yourself).


End file.
